Last spring I dumped old emails and removed myself from online mailing lists.

I don’t want to be reminded, that things I don’t need are on sale. Today, I repeated that task and cleaned up my computer.

Someone named LT left a message on 24 Things and said they dumped their junk mail folder, four year old draft emails and “stickies on my desktop from….a period when a lot of turmoil was happening…”

What a wonderful gesture of letting go. Deleting those unhappy reminders from the desktop gives LT freedom. She was holding on to that difficult time and gave herself a neon, yellow, reminder every time she sat at her desk.

This illustrates the way we cling to our experiences, even the unhappy ones. We do this in our surrounding and in our hearts and minds. If we release material ties, like those stickies,(or are digital neon stickies immaterial?) we free up internal space then we can fill it with something new and wonderful.

LT inspired me to put a sticky on my desktop and highlight my intention from day one.

This is also a good time to get rid of catalogs. I canceled many that cluttered my mailbox last spring but still there are a few stragglers.

I will collect them and repeat the process and I am also canceling my magazines. Yoga Journal and Oprah are history. I will let the subscriptions run out and if I miss them I will order an online subscription instead.

About Marylee Fairbanks

Marylee Fairbanks is a columnist for Gaiam, elephant journal, My Life Yoga, and Bliss.com, Her essays explore Motherhood and yoga, but mainly focus on her experiences with her young son and the many ways he helps her grow.
She is a registered yoga teacher and founder of Chakras Yoga and The 24 Things. She teaches Chakras Balancing workshops and yoga classes. Prior to having her son, she performed in Broadway musicals across the country.
Marylee lives in Massachusetts with her husband, son, and dogs.
Find her on her website and follow her on twitter.